Automatic door-operating mechanism



F. WALKER. AUTOVIATIC'DOOR OPERATING NIECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 192|.

1 ,408,92'7, Patented Jan. 17, 1922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

EE= Z 7 I if" Fred wal/fer F. WALKER.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. I92I.

In i@ W 3mm/Ito@ Y Fred wal/fer' F. WALKER. AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 192i.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- -T'red wal/fer @Hoang PATENT OFFICE.

FRED WALKER, 0F RHODES, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC DOORLOPERATING MECHAN ISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedY Jan. 17, 1,1922.

Application led February 5, 1921. `Serial No. 442,709.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED VALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rhodes, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Door- Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic door operating mechanisms, and more particularly to door operating mechanisms for garages and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a suitable automatic door operating mechanism which will positively open the door of a garage, when the automobile rolls upon the outer platform or track, and which will close immediately as the automobile is within the garage.

A further object is to provide means for manually operating the doors, thereby not necessitating the actual entrance of an automobile whenever the doors are to be opened.

Another object is to provide suitable .means for locking the doors in closed position, either from the inside or outside of the garage.

Other objects will appeary as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of my application- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the garage doors, andV operating mechanism Figure 2 is a side elevation 'of the garage and platforms;

Figure 3V is a vertical longitudinal section of the platforms and operating mechanism;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the lines 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a detail view of the joint between the platforms;

Figure 8 is a detail view of the dooroperating gearing, and Figure 9 is a detail view of the bracket carrying the main door operating gear.

Like characters of reference are used throughout the following specification to designate corresponding parts.

l The frame or walls of the garage 1 are 4, located at either side of the entrance of the garage. These doors 2 are of usualconstruction, and may be provided with glass windows 5 in their upper portions if" desired.

A pivoted platform or track 6, is hinged at either side, at its outer end to the base boards or frame 7, as at 8. Likewise a second platform 9 or track extends from the inner end of the frame 7, andis correspondingly hinged at its inner end as at 10. Bearings or rollers 11 are carried by the platform 6, where itv connects with the platform 9, and are slidably movable in the slots 12 at the end of the platform 9.

Guide posts or fingers 13 are attached at opposite sides` of they frame 7, and extend through the slots 14 in the platform 6. Positioned about these fingers 13, are the coil springs 14, which tend to normally keep the platforms 6 and 9 in raised position.

Attached to either side of the garage walls 1, are the brackets or mountings 15, which serve as bearings for the pivotedrods 4. These brackets 15, also carry the stub shafts 16, on which are rotatably mountedl the large gear wheels 17 which are in turn connected together by means of the crank shaft 18. Attached to the lower ends of the rods 4, and in mesh with the gear wheels 17, are the gear segments 19.

A transverse rod 20 is mounted between the side members of the frame 7, and carries at one of its ends the small pinion or gear wheel 21, which in turn meshes with a larger gear wheel 22, mounted on said frame 7. The handle 23 is attached to the gear 22, for rotating the same, which c auses the rod 20 to rotate, thereby winding 1n on the chains 24 attached to the lower surface of the platform 9, to pull the same down, and thereby open the garage doors. dog 25 is adapted to engage the gear 21, to hold the same in locked position. Thus it will be seen that the doors may be opened manually.

A U-shape member 26 is mounted transversely across and between the frame 7, and is provided at one of its ends with the handle portion 27. This member` 26 is used to lock the platforms in raised posit-ion, and is held in locked position by means of the latch 28, adjacent the said handle member 27.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the operation of the mechanism is as follows: The springs 14: normally tend to hold the doo-rs closed and the platforms 6 and 9 in raised position. When anV automobile runs upon the platform 6, it starts to sink downward, thereby causing` the large gearwh'eels 17 to rotate, due tothe fact that the platformG then seats on and presses the crank shaft 18 downward. The rotation of the gear wheels 17 cause the segment gears 19 to rotate,thereby sliding and folding the. doors back in o-pen position. As soon as the automobile has entered the garage, and is off of the platform 9, the springs 14, automatic-ally raise the platforms and close the doors. As beforel mentioned the doors can vbe manually opened and locked, or locked in closed position.

.The end closures 29 are used to close the space at the ends of the platform (5, to prevent anything from getting thereunder.

lhile I have specifically described my improved automatic door operating mechanism, Ido not intend to limit myself to this specific form, asmany minor changes in detail of construction may be 'resorted to withoutdeparture from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and 'desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States isz- LThe combination of a plurality of swinging doors, bracket members adjacent the lower portions o-f said doors, rods mountedin-said bracket members, gear segments on said rods, gears rotatably mounted on said brackets and meshing with said gearA segments,-'fa'pair of.V adjustably interconnected platforms, and independent means lfor man-` ually moving the platforms'to actuate the doors. 4

2. A door operating mechanism compris- .ing a plurality of swinging doors, a pair of adjustable interconnected platforms, gearing mounted at the opposite sides df said platforms, a crank connecting said gearing above the axis of said gears for cooperating with said platforms, whereby the doors will be positively opened when weight is applied to the platforms.

3. ii door operating mechanism comprising La plurality of swinging doors, a hinged opening said doors, guide posts extendingy through said platform, and resilient means surrounding said posts for.automatically`V raising said platform and closing said doors.

5. The combination with a swinging door,

of bracket members adjacent the lower portion of said door, a rod rotatably mounted in each of said brackets, said doorjbeing fixed to said rods, a gear mounted on each of said brackets, gear segments carried by each of said rods and meshing with said gears, a plurality of interconnected platforms, a crank connecting said gears above the axis of the gears and cooperating with said platform for automatically opening the door when weight is applied to the platform.

in testimony whereof I afx my signature.

FRED WALKER@ 

